What If?...Don't Take The Girl
by LissaMarie
Summary: What if Harm and Mac's lives were like the Tim McGraw song "Don't Take The Girl"? Warning: *CHARACTER DEATH*


Title: What If?...Don't Take The Girl  
  
Author: LissaMarie (MelMarie612@aol.com)  
  
Sites: http://www.geocities.com/shipperfanfiction/ and http://www.geocities.com/auharmmacfic/  
  
Rating: PG (minor violence?)  
  
Disclaimer: JAG and all its characters belong to DB, and Harm and Mac are brought to life by DJE and CB. I don't own JAG and never will, though if you are offering... The song "Don't Take The Girl" is sung by Tim McGraw. I don't use all of the lyrics, but the plot is based on the song.  
  
Category: AU, R H/M, A, song-fic (sort of), *Character Death*  
  
Spoilers: None  
  
Archive: BTL (If they're open); WWOMB; anyone else just let me know where you are putting it.  
  
Feedback: I love to receive it, but I don't expect it. Good, bad, and ugly all help me out. You can let me know at MelMarie612@aol.com.  
  
Summery: What if Harm and Mac's lives were like the Tim McGraw song "Don't Take The Girl"?  
  
Author's Note: I really have no idea where this came from. I just found myself imaging Harm and Mac while listening to the song. I don't know if there are any other fics with a story line like this (If there are, could someone send me a link?), but if there is, I'm sorry for taking your idea however unintentionally. This is the third story in my series of standalone, The What If? Series which can all be found at www.geocities.com/auharmmacfic/LissaMarie/whatif/whatif.html  
  
  
  
Don't Take The Girl  
By LissaMarie  
  
  
Eight year old Harm Rabb Jr followed his father out of the house excited about them being able to spend the entire day alone together. It's not often that his father was able to take off from work for them to spend time together, so when he could, it was all the more special. He carried his fishing pole over his shoulder, and his dad carried his own and their tackle box.  
  
The front gate creaking open captured both of their attention. They looked up to find a little girl with brown hair and eyes watching them with her own fishing pole in hand. Harmon Sr looked from the girl down to his son with a soft smile playing on his lips.  
  
"We can't leave her behind," he told the little boy. "Son, I know you don't want her to go, but someday you'll change your mind." He patted his son on the shoulder as the boy looked at his in disbelief and horror.  
  
"Take Sturgis Turner or Bud Roberts, dad. Or even Jason Tiner. Daddy, please don't take the girl!" Harm begged, but he knew from the look on his father's face that she was going to go with them. All he wanted was to have the day with his father doing manly things, but then a _*girl*_ had to show up.  
  
"Hi, sweetheart. I'm Harmon Rabb, and this is my son, Harm."  
  
"Hi, I'm Sarah Mackenzie. You can call me Mac," the little girl told him looking from his eyes down to the ground and then back up again.  
  
"So, Mac, would you like to come fishing with us?" Harmon asked the shy girl.  
  
That got a smile out of her. The three of them walked down the street to the water hole. Harm giving Mac dirty looks the entire way while she smiled kindly at him and listened to every word Harmon said.  


* * * *

  
**Ten Years Down The Road...**  
  
"The movie was terrible, Harm!" a seventeen year old Mac declared as they walked out of the cinema. Harm had been going on and on about how great it was since the closing credits started, and it took everything in her not to laugh.  
  
"It was not!" Harm told her laughing as he grabbed her waist from behind and pulled her body up against his. "You got to spend 2 hours close to me, didn't you?" His whispered tone in her ear sent shivers through her.  
  
"Well, I guess that makes up for you bringing me to see a movie with absolutely no plot and an explosion every few minutes," she told him turning around. She went on her tiptoes to give him what was intended to be a quick kiss, but he pulled her closer and deepen their mouths connection. They pulled away from one another a few moments later breathless.  
  
"I know a short cut home through a couple of alleys," Harm told her as they separated.  
  
"I don't know if going through alleys at this time of night is all that smart, Harm," Mac admitted following him anyway.  
  
"If anyone comes up, I'll do whatever I have to, to protect you. You know that," he told her as he led her into the dark alleyway.  
  
"Please! As if I need your protection, Stickboy!" she laughed as she got closer to him anyway.  
  
All of a sudden, a man came out of nowhere and grabbed Mac's arm. He had a gun pointed at her. "If you do what I tell you to do, there won't be any harm," he told them. It was obvious in his tone, if not in his actions, that he was unstable. Just give me everything you have that's valuable, and don't try holding anything back."  
  
"Take my money. Take my wallet. Take my credit cards. Here's the watch that my father gave me. But please - don't take the girl," Harm told him calmly as he could manage while watching the girl he loved being jerked around by a maniac with a gun. Everything he was giving to the man was replaceable, but she wasn't. Not at all.  
  
The man took the offered items from Harm hands and ran down the narrow alley. Mac looked at Harm with tears in her eyes that she refused to let fall, and she fell into his embrace wrapping her arms tightly around him. They were both okay, and that was all that really mattered.  


* * * *

  
**Five Years Down The Road...**  
  
Harm rubbed his eyes trying to make the computer screen from blurring. He had been looking at various sites for expectant fathers since he got home from work hours ago. He was getting the distinct feeling he was more nervous about their baby coming than Mac was. She was calm about everything it seemed. She was his rock.  
  
"Honey, it's time," Mac said entering the room with a smile on her face. The smile disappeared when another contraction hit.  
  
Harm was by her side in an instant wrapping his arm around her waist and leading her out of the house forgetting to log off the internet and just remembering to grab his car keys and the hospital bag.  


* * * *

  
**Several Hours Later...**  
  
Harm stared down at his hand looking at his wedding ring. The doctor had asked him to leave the room an hour earlier. He had told him not to worry. Complications occurred more often than not with delivery. Mac was going to be just fine, and they would have the beginning of the family they both wanted desperately. Everything would be okay.  
  
The doctor enter the waiting room with a tired and strained statement on his face. Harm was up to meet him instantly.  
  
The doctor looked up at Harm sadly. "The baby's fine, but you'll have to leave. 'Cause his momma's fading fast."  
  
Harm feel down on his knees and buried his face in his hands, praying silently. _*Take the very breath you gave me. Take the heart from my chest. I'll gladly take her place if you'll let me. Make this my last request. Take me out of this world. God, please - don't take the girl.*_  


* * * *

  
**Eight Years Later...**  
  
Eight year old Matthew Rabb followed his father out of the house excited about them being able to spend the entire day alone together. It's not often that his father was able to take off from work for them to spend time together, so when he could, it was all the more special. He carried his fishing pole over his shoulder, and his dad carried his own and their tackle box.  
  
The front gate creaking open captured both of their attention. They looked up to find a little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes watching them with her own fishing pole in hand. Harm looked from the girl down to his son with a soft smile playing on his lips.  
  
"We can't leave her behind," he told the little boy. "Son, I know you don't want her to go, but someday you'll change your mind." He patted his son on the shoulder as the boy looked at his in disbelief and horror.  
  
"Take any boy in the world! Daddy, please don't take the girl!" Matt begged, but he knew from the look on his father's face that she was going to go with them. All he wanted was to have the day with his father doing manly things, but then a _*girl*_ had to show up.  
  
The three of them walked down the street to the water hole. Matt giving the little girl dirty looks the entire way while she smiled kindly at him and listened to every word Harm said.  
  
Harm noticed and remembered times long past. He looked up at the sky thinking about the woman who went from being a nuisance to being his everything. _*I love you, Mac.*_  
  
~The End~  
  
What did you think? Let me know at MelMarie612@aol.com 


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